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Homophobic Atlah Church Dumps Trump After He Defends Gays in Orlando Speech

 The pastor of Atlah Worldwide Church, Rev. James David Manning, posted a message Tuesday on the church's marquee, rescinding its support of Donald Trump.
The pastor of Atlah Worldwide Church, Rev. James David Manning, posted a message Tuesday on the church's marquee, rescinding its support of Donald Trump.
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Dartunorro Clark/DNAInfo

HARLEM — The homophobic Atlah Church has retracted its endorsement of Donald Trump because its pastor believes the presidential candidate was too pro-gay in the wake of the Orlando shooting.

Rev. James David Manning, who's posted controversial messages on the marquee of the Atlah Worldwide Church including "Jesus Would Stone Homos," had heaped praise on the candidate months earlier.

But on Tuesday, a new sign outside the 123rd Street church read: “The Bible condemns Mr. Trump’s acceptance of sodomy and I withdraw my support. Sodomy is more dangerous than Jihadists.”

Manning, who previously called Trump "humble, patient, generous but a strong leader,” was reacting to a speech the candidate made Monday in response to the deadly shooting at a gay nightclub which left 49 people dead and 53 wounded.

Gunman Omar Mateen reportedly pledged his allegiance to ISIS before the Orlando attack Sunday morning.

“Radical Islam is anti-woman, anti-gay and anti-American,” Trump said.

“I refuse to allow America to become a place where gay people, Christian people and Jewish people are the targets of persecution and intimidation by radical Islamic preachers of hate and violence.

“Ask yourself, 'who is really the friend of women and the LGBT community, Donald Trump with his actions, or Hillary Clinton with her words'?" Trump continued.

“Clinton wants to allow radical Islamic terrorists to pour into our country — they enslave women and murder gays. I don’t want them in our country.”

Speaking to DNAinfo on Tuesday, Manning said, “I thought some of the speech was actually quite good, but then he gave a full-throated endorsement and recognized the sodomite lifestyle and he acknowledged their lifestyle in ways in which the Bible condemns."

Manning was one of 100 black pastors who met with Trump in December at Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in Midtown to back his bid for The White House.

But Manning said his doubts began when Trump said he supported transgender people to use whichever bathrooms they choose, and Caitlyn Jenner took him up on the offer at Trump Tower.

Manning also said he was similarly troubled when Trump said Kim Davis, the controversial county clerk in Kentucky who was jailed after refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses last year, should follow the law.

“After yesterday’s speech I decided, as a man of God, I could not support a man who believes in such ideology,” Manning said.

The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.